Optoelectronics is a field of technology that combines the physics of light with the principles of electricity. Currently, various integrated circuits (IC) design techniques utilize the physics of electricity to provide a vast array of devices for implementing computer systems, wireless technology, imaging systems, media systems and the like. Unfortunately, IC design techniques are dangerously close to reaching a reliable, upper limit of bandwidth available for data transmission via metal wires. As a result, the field of optoelectronics is focused on bridging the gap between the knowledge base held by IC chip designers in order to utilize unlimited bandwidth provided by the physics of light.
Optoelectronic technologies include, for example, fiber optic communications, laser systems, electronic eyes/machine vision, remote sensing systems, medical diagnostic systems and optical information systems. In fact, the field of fiber optics is of particular interest in view of the dynamic growth of the Worldwide Web (Internet). The promise provided by the Internet of one day connecting each individual throughout the world via computer screens and mouse clicks becomes a reality when viewed through the eyes of the optoelectronic engineer. Specifically, fiber optics provides the capability of vastly increasing the bandwidth available from the Internet in order to make communication, as well as a worldwide marketplace, a reality for tomorrow's consumers.
As known to those skilled in the art, fiber optics utilizes glass (or plastic) threads (fibers) to transmit data. The fiber optic cable consists of a bundle of glass threads, each of which is capable of transmitting messages modulated onto light waves. As a result, fiber optics includes several advantages over traditional communications techniques. Specifically, fiber optic cables provide substantially greater bandwidth than conventional metal wires. In addition, fiber optic cables are less susceptible to interference and are much thinner and lighter than coax cables or metal wires utilized by current communications technologies.
Consequently, in order to utilize the expansive bandwidth provided by fiber optics, it is necessary to utilize devices which can perform optical to electric, as well as electric to optical transduction. This conversion is necessary in order to interface with existing electrical systems, which utilize IC chips for processing received data. Although integrated devices one day will be able to process directly optical signals, fiber optics is dependent on efficient devices for performing optical to electrical, as well as electrical to optical transduction in order to interface with legacy electronic system.
Accordingly, optoelectronics is focused on the study, design and manufacture of hardware devices that convert electrical signals into photon signals, as well as converting photon signals into electrical signals. Although various devices exist for performing optical transduction, the current technology standard is the butterfly/can package. These cans may have a coaxial radio frequency interface or ceramic leaded interface. An additional package is the dual in-line (MINI-DIL) package, which is a ceramic can with ceramic walls and vertical leads.
Unfortunately, devices such as the butterfly, as well as the MINI-DIL package are configured according to a can shape, including various sidewalls. As a result, these devices are not capable of providing a planar platform to perform optical assemblies, including optical transducers, transponders or the like. Moreover, the configuration of such devices does not enable product fabrication utilizing such techniques as machine vision or electric eyes. In addition, current tooling techniques for modification and assembly, as well as fabrication utilizing optical packages are ineffective when working with such can package configurations. Therefore, there remains a need to overcome one or more of the limitations in the above-described, existing art.